At the quarter mark of the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s 2025-26 season, the battle for the Tod Division title is still very much nip and tuck.

Thanks to a winning weekend, the Pirates (6-2-2) are a single point back of the loop leading Amherstview. Picton’s tied with Napanee for second but the locals lay claim to the slot by virtue of holding a game in hand over the Raiders.

Meanwhile, the Lakefield Chiefs are in fourth place as of this writing but have only played nine contests. The Tribe boast the Tod’s best winning percentage at .722.

There’s still lots of racetrack before the end of 42 games and the regular season’s finish line.

But if early returns are an indication, fanbases around the Division are in for some exciting hockey.

Solid Outings

Picton took care of business this weekend, doubling up on the visiting Frankford Huskies 4-2 on Thursday before turning in a gutty 3-2 comeback effort over host Port Hope Saturday evening.

Pirates rookie goaltender Nick Parodo was on the ice at the conclusion of both games, spelling off starter Nolan Lane on Thursday when the veteran experienced cramping and was forced to leave the crease early in the third period.

Mr. Parodo came up with nine big stops over the final 15 minutes of the contest to propel Picton to the win.

Both Nick and Nolan gave us solid goaltending and key saves at the right times. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a strong team win against a hardworking Frankford group,” the coach said after the win.

Picton had the ice breaker with under five minutes left in the first when Gerrit Kempers intercepted a pass in the Frankford end and deposited a nitfy unassisted effort over Huskies starter Liam Boyer for a 1-0 lead.

The Pirates doubled down before the end of the stanza when Jakob Gardner’s behind-the-back pass in the neutral zone sprang Cole Stevenson on an off man rush. The Quinte West product picked the high blocker side on Mr. Boyer at 3:11 to make it a two goal spread for the hosts.

Former Pirate Kegan Carr jammed home his third of the year at 4:30 of the second to get Frankford back in the contest but a power play tally just before the halfway mark produced all the offence the Pirates would need on this night.

It was a pair of ex-Huskies combining on the game winner as Mr. Gardner set up Keenan Wiles on an end-to-end dash with the Carrying Place native clanking his fifth of the campaign off the post and into the Frankford net at 8:29.

In the third, Picton bagged its second power play goal of the game. Leading sniper Luc Amat banged home his own rebound from the slot 4:29 into the final stanza to push the Pirates ahead 4-1.

Mr. Carr came back to haunt his club in the late going with his second of the night but Mr. Parodo was spotless otherwise, making the final 4-2.

Clutch Comeback

On Saturday, the Pirates seemed to be stuck in neutral through 40 minutes and fell behind 2-0 to the Panthers.

But Picton emerged from their dressing room with some jump after the second intermission and tamed the Cats 3-2.

“We didn’t get the start we wanted, but the guys stuck with it and believed in each other,” the skipper noted. “In the third period, we really took over — played fast, physical hockey, and capitalized on our chances. It was great to see leadership from our veterans and contributions throughout the lineup. Parodo was steady in goal and gave us a chance to come back, and our defense did a good job shutting things down late. It was a complete team effort and an important character win on the road.”

The Pirates finally solved Panthers starter Aidan Cowan at 8:09 into the third. Mr. Wiles fed Cole Mulder inside the Port Hope blue line and Picton’s hulking defender blasted a shot from the high slot.

Mr. Stevenson pounced on the rebound for his fifth of the campaign to carve the Port Hope lead in half.

The locals squared the affair just over four minutes later as they once again deposited some loose change into the host’s twine tent.

Mr. Mulder picked up his second assist in the frame when Mr. Kempers accepted a lead pass and went to the slot with abandon. Mr. Cowan made the initial stop but Mr. Amat was on the doorstep of the Panthers net to tap home his 10^th of the year at 12:32.

Picton forged ahead for the first time in the contest at 17:24. Ben Smith stripped a Port Hope defender of the puck t at the blue line and weaved to the Panthers net, delivering a pass to the slot area where linemate Colby Leaver lit the lamp with 2:36 left in the game.

Mr. Smith drew faceoff duties on Saturday night and only lost two draws the entire game. The contest also saw the return of Liam Philip to the Picton line up and Coach Lane praised the Picton native’s physical play.

Picton hosts Trent Hills on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.